Incidents

Please let us know of any incidents and we’ll add them to this dossier.

You may also want to report it to Rathlin Energy and/or the Environment Agency– but if you only report to Rathlin Energy the wider community won’t get to know about it.

Cuadrilla’s Gas Rig at West Newton Was Not Certified

A Health & Safety Investigation has revealed that the rig used at Rathlin Energy’s well site in Holderness was operating without a valid Declaration of Conformity

The rig is owned by infamous fracking company Cuadrilla Resources and was used to frack Preese Hall well near Blackpool, causing the 2011 earthquakes that lead to the UK wide fracking moratorium.

In October 2014 a worker on the West Newton well site was seen climbing the rig at height without a safety harness. A ‘protector’ camped at the site and a local resident witnessed the incident and sent video footage to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).

HSE Investigation Report

The HSE took the matter so seriously they conducted a thorough investigation, the results of which have now been made public. They concluded that the video footage was not of good enough quality to determine for definite whether or not the worker was connected to fall arrest equipment.

However the investigation discovered that the rig is owned by fracking company Cuadrilla, was imported in 2010, and was never certified for use in the UK.1

The report states that Marriott Drilling (who lease the rig), “claimed to have done a lot of ‘soul searching’ since the complaint and thoroughly reviewed the issue of safe working up the rig mast.”2 and as a result made design improvements to the rig.3

Deployments of fracking rig ESR-550

A Freedom of Information request revealed the rig had been deployed to numerous Cuadrilla sites, including Preese Hall near Blackpool in 2011.

The rig was used to carry out the only high volume hydraulic fracturing job ever done in the UK in April & May 2011, causing the widely reported earthquakes, which led to the UK fracking moratorium. A DECC report stated there were a “total of 50 seismic events in the magnitude range -2 to 2.3 ML“ and concluded “that the observed seismicity was induced by the hydraulic fracture treatments at Preese Hall.”

Frack Free East Yorkshire says: We were promised gold standard regulation with no risk. What we got was 19 breaches of EA permit in 6 months, an emergency well shutdown, noxious smells for weeks on end, and a Cuadrilla fracking rig not even certified for use in the UK – but it was half a decade before anybody noticed. This is fundamental stuff. And now the regulators are being cut to the bone – how will they cope with hundreds of new gas wells spreading across our countryside like a pox?

Notes

HSE Report, p16, Section 5.2:
“The workover rig is known as ESR-550 … brought into the UK in 2010
…
The workover rig is owned by Cuadrilla and is leased commercially to Marriott Drilling
…
In conjunction with Cuadrilla, it [Marriott Drilling] had recently reviewed the certification of the rig and found that although the rig identification plate carried the CE and ATEX marks and technical and operational information had been provided, the EC Declaration of Conformity was not signed. Subsequent investigation by Cuadrilla and Marriott Drilling had revealed that when the rig arrived in the UK, the conformity assessment by Intertek was about 95% complete but not finished.
On discovering this Cuadrilla arranged for the conformity assessment to be repeated … scheduled to be completed within 6 weeks”

bottom of p16

Section 9 Final Design Outcome., p21

Photographs of a new gantry and handrails added to rig. Figs 24 & 25

Breach of Lighting Conditions – Crawberry Hill, November 2015

The site is dazzlingly lit at night as work continues way past the permitted operating hours.

Working at night in breach of the Lighting Plan.

Planning Condition 3 states that they must comply with a lighting plan:

“… lighting shall be installed only in accordance with these details [the lighting plan]. This condition is imposed to reduce the likelihood of light pollution in the open countryside and protecting the Wolds Area of High Landscape Value and visual amenities of the area”.

“… the requirements for lighting of the site relate to the undertaking of decommissioning, monitoring and restoration phases of development. It is noted that the working hours for the restoration phase are restricted to between the hours of 7.00-18.00 and that any requirements to light the site will be restricted to a fixed period during these hours and will therefore not result in any intrusive light effects during the night hours (i.e. between the hours of 18.00-0700).

In reality they seem to be completely ignoring these working hours, and working around the clock.

December 2014 – Seismic testing damages several properties & lake

Several properties and a lake in the West Newton area have been damaged by seismic testing carried out by Rathlin Energy. One property was damaged so severely it will have to be demolished and rebuilt.

Seismic testing involves setting off explosive charges and monitoring the echoes over a wide area in order to gather information about the underground geology and potential petroleum reserves. It has caused untold damage worldwide.

Residents near Marton and Sproately reported loud explosions, walls shaking, and a heavy Aga cooker jumped off the ground. Several properties were damaged, including structural damage. Luxury holiday chalets had their windows blown out. Legal action is underway.

Then a commercial fishing lake started losing water. At first Rathlin Energy acted quickly to have mains water pumped in, but as tap water is chlorinated this would eventually poison the fish. Rathlin Energy then pulled out and it was left to solicitors.

This commercial fishing lake was damaged and started losing water after seismic testing by Rathlin Energy in East Yorkshire.

Very worryingly, it is believed Rathlin Energy has made payments to some property owners, but only on condition that they sign a non-disclosure agreement, aka a gagging agreement. ie; they can’t talk about it. This tactic has been very effective in silencing the impacts of the oil and gas industry in the US. It seems to be working in this case, as none of the damage has been reported in the press.

West Newton Wellsite: 19 Breaches of EA Permit

The Environment Agency (EA) is taking enforcement action against Rathlin Energy after 19 breaches of the EA permit between July 2014 and January 2015, including multiple releases of gas from the well head.

“The operator is carrying out vermin control on site using rodenticide in bait boxes and that is believed to be contributing to the numbers of small dead mammals found in the open section of the containment ditch.” – Environment Agency, Compliance Assessment Report, 10th Oct 2014

Poisoning small mammals could also poison other animals that eat them. Barn Owls, a protected species, used to live in this area, but are no longer seen.

Sept-Oct – Gas Leaks & Noxious Smells, West Newton

“Following communication with the Environment Agency Rathlin Energy voluntarily suspended well testing operations at the West Newton Well Site.” – EA

19th Sep – Reported in The Guardian

“… site making locals ‘sick from noxious smells'”

“The smell is hideous, very distinctive, pungent and nauseous. It comes in waves. It started last week and has continued since. It fades in and out. The area where they are drilling is very rural and the smell drifts easily a mile away. Depending on the wind, it has at times reached villages like West Newton and Withernwick”.

The EA believed, “the smell was caused by small quantities of natural gas from the well venting via the flare.”

Rathlin said the smell was, “a combination of a number of naturally occurring constituents within the gas being tested”. They were usually burned but, “at very low flow pressure, methane, together with the heavier gases, are not being fully incinerated and their respective odours are being emitted”

Sandra Baxter, who lives in the house closest to the site, wrote: “I could not go outside on Friday had to ring envi health my eyes were watering and stinging throat feeling weird and could not stop coughing”.

24th Sept EA gave its agreement to re-commencement of well testing operations

14th Sept – Gas Flaring, West Newton

This was reported to the police, who didn’t respond on the first occasion, but responded quickly on the second occasion. It is believed the offender received a caution.

12th August – Mini-frack test goes wrong, West Newton

Well Intervention Equipment at Rathlin’s West Newton well site.

2nd August: Rathlin Energy Field Manager confirms they are currently conducting a mini-frack on the Bowland Shale. Video here.

4th August: “Very shortly we hope to be able to announce that, at West Newton, we have completed all the work we intend to do in the lower formations of the well, including the evaluation of the Bowland Shale.” – Rathlin Energy newsletter [ie; the mini frack test]

14th August: Well Intervention Equipment, that costs thousands a day to hire, is spotted heading to West Newton by one of the protectors. A member of Frack Free East Yorkshire contacts the HSE.

“Rathlin were carrying out work/cleaning within the well.
They are shutting down the well because there is a small increase in pressure between two of the well casings caused by formations from activity.
They have sent equipment to site to deal with this, and to put down the well to investigate the cause.
The HSE are seeking verification and monitoring the issue, but there is no one from the HSE present on site. We are relying on Rathlin’s duty to keep us informed. They have to provide a weekly report, however out of courtesy Rathlin informed the HSE 2 days ago” – HSE

14th August: The Environment Agency were unaware of the incident.

16th Sept: Despite spending £millions drilling an extra thousand metres or so deeper than the conventional reserves, and applying for an onerous EA Permit that included a controversial mini-frack, and despite all the furore around this test…

They do not even mention, never mind explain, why well intervention equipment was mobilised to site, or what went wrong.

We can only assume that things must have gone very badly wrong indeed for them to abandon 2 of their 3 planned tests, but as no regulatory bodies visited the site neither the regulators, nor we, are ever likely to know the details of what really happened.

The West Newton well site, which they had hoped would become a commercially producing site, is then mothballed, and Rathlin Energy apply for a new well site a couple of fields away – West Newton B.

Standard operating procedure?

21st July – more dead hares, Crawberry Hill

There is meant to be a stock fence round the site. There is a mature hedge on the south side of the site as well as the stock fence which is supposed to keep the site secure. We have seen rabbits coming through the fence onto the site and it is likely the hares got in that way.
The obvious issue is the lack of fresh water sources on this high chalkland. The creation of a long trough full of water must have been very attractive. The plastic film on the side of the trench would be too slippery for the hares to climb out easily – no idea if they can swim – so we guess they panicked and drowned.

11th July – West Newton ditch full

5th July – dead hare in West Newton Ditch

2nd July – 2 breaches of Planning Conditions, West Newton

Failure to give 14 days notice of commencement of activities (Condition 2)

64 vehicles arrived in large convoys. The traffic management plan states no convoys, with a minimum of 10 minutes between vehicles.